BMW X5 vs. Mercedes-Benz GLE - Premium PHEV SUV Battle (ENG) Comparison and Review - Marek Drives

BMW X5 xDrive50e and the Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 DE 4MATIC, two interpretations of mid-size premium SUVs and two approaches to plug-in hybrid powertrains. You'll find reviews of both of these SUVs on my channel, links in the description below. If it's your first time here, subscribe and press the bell icon to get notifications about new reviews. Also, channel members, get to watch this weeks or months in advance, and it's ad-free. And now, let this SUV battle commence. I'll compare design, boots, rear seats, cockpits, infotainment system, hybrid powertrains, ride and handling, and finally, we'll do some very simple off-road test. Both SUVs are in their facelift phase, the X5 got an optional illumination of the radiator grille, the headlights are sleeker, the rear lamps now display an X motif, or rather, each displays half of an X, there are new bumpers, new paint colours, the usual. The biggest changes are, of course, in the cockpit, more about that in a moment. The changes to the GLE are equally subtle, the 4MATIC AWD is now standard on all European models, it used to be possible to order the least powerful petrol model with RWD. As carmakers strive to cut emissions, electrification is inevitable, this means diesel models are now at least mild hybrids, or PHEVs. Both SUVs are just over 490 cm long and over 2 m wide each, both are just under 180 cm high, and the wheelbase is 297.5 cm in the BMW and 299.5 cm in the Mercedes. Ground clearance is around 21.5 cm in both cars. The BMW weighs just under 2.5 tons, while the Mercedes weighs almost 2.7 tons. Both cars can tow up to 2.7 tons. Which one do you like better so far? And now let's look inside the BMW X5 boot. The highlight here is the split tailgate, which makes suspicious noises, which is great when you want to change your shoes after exercising or skiing. The BMW claims this boot has 500 litres capacity and it's about right according to my measurements. Fold the backrest and you get 1720 litres. Now, because of the traction battery, there's only some small storage under the boot floor, enough to fit the cargo cover and maybe, maybe, if you really apply yourself, one charging cable, but just in case, BMW gives you this cable bag. The X5's boot is approximately 113 cm wide, 100 cm deep and the height is 40 cm under the cargo cover, with the cassette taking away another 3 cm around the backrests. On the plus side, the cargo cover is easy to remove. On the downside, the plug-in hybrid does not have a large storage compartment under the entire floor and the floor is slightly raised versus the non-hybrid models. Compared to the pre-facelift versions, the levers to fold the rear seats have disappeared. I could not find them in the configurator. Maybe this is a temporary change or maybe BMW reserved it for the non-hybrid 7-seater. Other than that, there are shopping bag hooks, a 12V outlet and, on versions with optional pneumatic suspension, a button to lower the rear suspension to make loading easier. Mercedes doesn't provide boot capacity for the hybrid GLE, so I had to look in the German Automotive Press, which claims there is 470 litres in the 5-seat configuration and 1865 litres with the backrests folded. Also, Mercedes gives you not one, not two, but three bags with different The GLE boot is approximately 110 cm wide, 100 cm deep and 43 cm high to the cargo cover, minus 3 cm for the cassette closer to the backrests. The plug-in hybrid has no underfloor storage compartment, not even the smallest one for a repair kit, nor does it have a recess on the side. As a result, the repair kit, the first aid kit and, possibly, cable bags are taking up space in the main compartment of my luxury SUV boot. Fortunately, you can specify most Mercedes PHEVs with optional DC charging, so on longer trips you can just skip the slower charging cables. Rear seat in the BMW is quite ordinary, the backrest splits 40-20-40, there's an armrest with some cupholders, four-zone climate control, heated side seats and large door pockets. In the X5, with the driver's seat set to my driving position, I'm 175 cm tall, I only have 15-16 cm legroom. I remember a few years ago, when I first reviewed this generation X5, I was surprised at how relatively little space there is in the back of such a large SUV. Well, this hasn't changed and I still don't know how it's even possible. I've measured the X5 and the GLE inside and out, checked the thickness of the seats, the length of the cockpit, the distance from the windscreen and I can't explain where the space disappears in the BMW. Also, the doors don't cover the sills, but at least the floor in the middle is almost flat. In the backrest of the front seats, we have optional USB ports and anchor points to attach accessories. The optional window blinds are manual. I don't know how Mercedes did this, but in the GLE, I have 8 cm more legroom than in the BMW X5. How is that even possible? Yes, in the GLE, I have easily 24-25 cm of legroom behind the driver's seat set up for me and yes, I checked the distance of the front seat from the dashboard and it is the same as in the X5. The thickness of the seats is similar, but in the Mercedes, there is more bolstering and they are softer, so they look thicker. In the back of this test car, we get an optional tablet in the armrest. It's for controlling the seats, multimedia, air conditioning, as long as it connects with the car, because there is a 50-50 chance it won't. I mean, I could just use buttons for the AC, but no, I'm gonna use a tablet because that's fancier. Also, because of the tablet, the cupholders had to be moved to an extended center console, while I can control the AC from the tablet, I have to lean to get my drinks anyway. At least there are large door pockets and the doors don't cover the sills. While those side steps may look cool, they make getting in and out unnecessarily difficult. And if you think less legroom in the back of the BMW is a result of my different driving position, you are mistaken. According to my measurements, behind the wheel of the BMW X5 I sit as close to the dashboard as in the GLE, but the distance from the dashboard to the rear backrest is only 157 cm in the X5, which is around 5 cm less than in the GLE. The facelifted X5 gets BMW OS 8.5, this infotainment system means, among others, getting rid of traditional gauges, even though these have long been digital and only looked analog. It also means preparing BMW cars for over-the-air software updates and digital services which carmakers would very much like to sell to customers, but for the time being, the customers do not show due enthusiasm about it, regardless of the brand. While moving majority of the settings to a touchscreen saves carmakers a lot of money, it is also annoying customers who want to change something and need to take their eyes off the road, same with the now-flat buttons for drive modes, in place of what used to be sticking out of the console. For a brand renowned for its focus on the needs of real drivers, BMW too often forces me to take my eyes off the road. The cupholders are cooled and heated, and as usual they obscure access to a wireless charger. The X5 gets some of the largest door pockets on the market, the storage compartment under the armrest is medium-sized and so is the glovebox. BMW, like Mercedes, now offers scents to be sprayed through the ventilation. Behind the wheel of the GLE I feel as if I'm sitting lower than in the X5, however the seats are at the same level from the ground. The difference is in the window line, which in the GLE is about 5cm higher than in the X5. The cockpit is more or less what Mercedes has been offering for the past six years or so. It is a dual display running across two-thirds of the dashboard. I like the sub-like slots for the AC vents which run across the entire width of the display. Introduced in 2018, the MBUX operating system is, in my opinion, a better solution than BMW OS 8, even if in newer models more physical buttons are being replaced by features displayed on the ever-larger screens. And I don't get it why some of the seat settings are on the doors and some within the infotainment system. The cupholders are also large, storage compartment under the armrest is large, but the glovebox is small. The door pockets are generous. Sorry for the cliché, but the X5 drives like a BMW. It's got quick direct steering, at least compared to the GLE, the suspension is stiff and the reaction to the gas pedal is immediate. This test example is powered by a six-cylinder inline petrol engine. There is also an electric motor which draws energy from a 25.7 kWh net capacity traction battery. AC charging is up to 7.4 kW, takes up to four and a half hours, there is no DC option. The total power output of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor is 489 horsepower. The torque is 700 Nm. The claimed 0 to 100 km per hour time is 4.8 seconds, I achieved 5.6 seconds in normal mode, but 4.5 seconds in sport mode. The promised fuel economy of less than 1 liter per 100 km is, of course, for WLTP cycle where the car runs mainly on electricity. Once the energy in the traction battery has been depleted, over longer distances expect fuel consumption like that of a six-cylinder petrol engine in a 2.5 ton SUV, i.e. a dozen or so liters per 100 km. Electric range of up to 110 km is achievable under optimum conditions, but BMW tempts you to drive faster so it can be difficult to achieve more than 80 km, but for many people this is still more than their daily commute. The X5 has intelligent regenerative braking. When the car detects slower traffic ahead or an intersection or a speed limit, it starts to slow down on its own and recovers some energy in the process, helping to extend the electric range. While there is no battery recharge mode, it is possible to recover some electric energy in sport mode, although there is no economic justification for this. If you plan to drive in zero emissions mode after a long motorway journey, for example, you can activate the battery save mode. BMW has always had good driver assistance systems and this has not changed. Adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist work with me, not against me. Thanks to BMW OS 8, features such as a system that allows you to save a series of parking maneuvers in certain locations are coming to more BMW models. For example, I can save a location on my street from which the car reverses autonomously into my driveway. Compared to the X5, the GLE is much more comfortable and relaxed. The Mercedes doesn't like to take corners fast. Instead, it pampers you with soft seats with adjustable bolsters. Adjusted correctly, these seats will hold you in place should you decide to take a corner with a bit too much enthusiasm for this car's liking. Mercedes offers three plug-in hybrid versions, including the 350DE with a 2-litre diesel. This certainly makes sense in some situations, such as when I often have to drive a few dozen kilometres or more on the motorway, but at the destination I want to or I need to drive in zero emissions mode. This gives me good fuel economy on the motorway and zero emissions in the city. The claimed range of up to 109 kilometres is probably achievable in optimum conditions, but during the review, the daytime temperature was below 10°C and at night it dropped to around 0, so the computer only showed 80 km range. If you need to recharge the battery, the GLE takes up to 11 kW AC, but there is also an option for 60 kW DC charging, so you can regain about 50 km range during a short break to stretch your legs. Once the energy in the traction battery was exhausted, I drove for a while using the internal combustion engine. The average fuel consumption was around 5 litres per 100 km, but if I recharged the traction battery every 80 to 100 km or so, I would probably have reached some ridiculous result below 1 litre per 100 km. GLE also has intelligent recuperation, but it's not as effective at slowing the car down as in the BMW. Adaptive cruise control or lane-keeping assist are as good as in the X5. While Mercedes doesn't offer parking memory on the GLE, I've seen it on some of the brand's newer models. The time from 0 to 100 kmh should be 6.9 seconds. I couldn't get below 7.2 seconds even in sport mode on dry tarmac. Both SUVs, depending on the powertrain, can be fitted with optional off-road packages, but these test units here only have optional air suspension, which lowers or raises by a dozen millimetres or so depending on the drive mode selected. As both cars are on standard tyres and without the off-road packages, I only perform my diagonal approach test, where I stop halfway up a small incline so that the wheels on the diagonal have limited grip, and then I try get going again. No surprise, both cars got up without any problems. It's worth noting that the X5 and GLE have mechanical all-wheel drive rather than the rear axle being powered by an electric motor, like in the Lexus RX. But even so, I don't expect many owners to take their luxury SUVs off-road any further than a gravel driveway to their mansions. BMW X5 prices start at €87,300 for the xDrive30d version. This test unit is the xDrive50e. With additional equipment, it costs €129,822. The Mercedes-Benz GLE prices start at €87,435 for the 300d 4MATIC. This test model with options costs €115,932. The X5 is better to drive as a BMW SUV and as a PHEV. It also has more modern and more relevant gadgets. But charging is its weakness. I'm also disappointed by the tighter interior and a rather cheap-sounding tailgate. Mercedes, on the other hand, is more comfortable, offers faster AC charging and has a DC option. It is also more spacious inside. However, the tablet is no replacement for something really useful like automatic parking. And a 2.0-litre diesel is just as good in real life as a PHEV with a 2.0-litre diesel. And which one of these SUVs would you rather have? Let me know in the comments section below. 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